1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 61-203443 will be described with reference to FIGS. 37 and 38.
FIG. 37 illustrates the conventional magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus in an eject position where a magnetic tape cassette can be mounted on a moving chassis 201, and FIG. 38 illustrates the magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus in a loaded position where a magnetic tape is wound around a rotary head drum, and the apparatus is ready to perform a magnetic recording/reproduction operation.
Referring to FIG. 37, the magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus includes a fixed chassis 217, the moving chassis 201, a rotary head drum 218 having a rotary head, a magnetic tape 273, a supply reel base 203a, a take-up reel base 203b, a tape cassette 277, and tape loading sections 227a and 227b each having a rotation guide 229 and an inclined guide 230. As the tape loading sections 227a and 227b move along guide rails 209a and 209b from the position shown in FIG. 37 to the position shown in FIG. 38, and the moving chassis 201 moves along the direction indicated by an arrow C in FIG. 38, the magnetic tape 273 is pulled out from the tape cassette 277 and wound around the rotary head drum 218, thereby establishing the loaded position shown in FIG. 38 where the magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus is ready to perform a magnetic recording/reproduction operation.
In such a tape loading apparatus, the tape loading sections 227a and 227b generally need a predetermined gap in the thickness direction so that they can smoothly slide along the guide rails 209a and 209b. Therefore, the tape loading sections 227a and 227b have some play with respect to the rotation guide 229 and the inclined guide 230. Accordingly, the tip of the inclined guide 230 can incline in a direction toward the rotary head drum 218 during a loading operation.
As can be seen from FIGS. 37 and 38, the inclined guide 230 has a cylindrical shape.
In such a conventional structure, however, as the inclined guide 230 inclines in a direction toward the rotary head drum 218 during a loading operation, the inclined guide 230 may contact and damage the rotary head drum 218 and possibly the head which are in a high speed rotation. This is generally shown in FIG. 39, which illustrates a head 501 being in rotation. As illustrated in FIG. 39, when the inclined guide 230 inadvertently contacts an upper drum 218a ("rotary drum"), the inclined guide 230 may damage the upper drum 218a and the head 501 (not shown in FIG. 39).
In order to avoid this, different approaches have been taken, including the following. For example, the respective loading tracks of the tape loading members 227a and 227b may be sufficiently spaced from the rotary head drum 218. Alternatively, the proximity of the inclined guide 230 to the rotary head drum 218 may be reduced by reducing the play of the tape loading members 227a and 227b by reducing or eliminating the gap in the thickness direction between the guide rails 209a and 209b and the tape loading members 227a and 227b.
However, spacing the loading track away from the rotary head drum 218 may inhibit downsizing of the mechanism. Moreover, reducing or eliminating the gap between the tape loading members 227a and 227b and the guide rails 209a and 209b may increase the load of a loading operation and thus the drive force required from a power source (which is typically a motor). Therefore, the power consumption of the apparatus may increase, and/or a large motor may be required, thereby inhibiting downsizing of the mechanism.